Queer East Presents: QE HomeSexual

Saturday, April 18, 2020 9:00 AM 09:00
Sunday, May 17, 2020 11:59 PM 23:59

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From Queer East to QE: HomeSexual – audiences can now watch award-winning documentaries and short films, from emerging Asian filmmakers, at home.

In response to the Coronavirus outbreak and indefinite closure of independent venues, Queer East launches a new charitable initiative to celebrate inspiring queer activism and storytelling from East and Southeast Asia whilst also raising money for independent cinemas.

The festival, which was due to open at the Lexi Cinema on Saturday 18 April, is now postponed until later this year. While cinemas remain closed until government guidance changes, Queer East will move online with a special capsule series ‘QE: HomeSexual’ running from 18 April to 17 May.

QE: HomeSexual features five programmes, with 17 films from 9 countries, reflecting the headline festival’s selections to offer an authentic overview of contemporary queerness in East and Southeast Asia on screen. Each programme will be available to rent for £2.99 at https://vimeo.com/showcase/7036028 with all proceeds going to independent cinemas partnering with Queer East this year.

The programme highlights Hui-Chen Huang’s Small Talk (Taiwan), the winner of Teddy Award for Best Documentary at 2017 Berlinale, which brings together a series of conversations with the director’s mother about why she kept her sexuality a secret and lived as a wife and parent to her family and a lesbian with her friends.

The Taiwanese curated shorts featured in the digital programme are:

She / Her – a collection of six queer female stories told by women including The Summer of 12 (Taiwan), a teenage girl’s exploration on sexuality;

Made in Taiwan – celebrating Taiwan’s rich tradition of LGBTQ+ filmmaking with four films about gay life and queer desire in Taiwan, including 100 Apples, Encore, Gentleman Spa and Tidal. This programme offers a unique snapshot of the island’s cultural landscape.

Director of Queer East, Yi Wang says:

“For now, cinemas screens may be dark and events may be cancelled, but the lockdown will not stop the sharing of inspiring arts and culture in virtual spaces. Our first festival was so generously supported from our cinema partners and the current situation presents a very significant financial challenge to them. QE: HomeSexual is our attempt to continue to tell brave stories of the queer community and, in the meantime, support our cinema friends who are a vital asset in our neighbourhood. I would also like to send my fervent gratitude to the filmmakers who’ve so positively responded to this initiative at such short notice and joined us in solidarity in bringing more LGBTQ+ storytelling from Asia to a wider audience.”

Taiwanese films featured in the digital programme

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Queer East Presents: QE HomeSexual